Membership

The Lorain County Bar Association and the Lorain County Bar Association Foundation are pleased to announce that they will present awards to recognize outstanding individuals in four separate categories: Lifetime Achievement, Member of the Year, Courage, the Maude May Washburn Awards.

Congratulations to the following winners:

The Lifetime Achievement Award:

This year’s recipient is Attorney Timothy T. Smith. After obtaining his law degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1969, he partnered with his brother to develop Smith & Smith Attorneys in Avon Lake, and he practiced law there for nearly 40 years. He left that practice to begin Smith Illner & Gemelas in Elyria, where he presently maintains Of Counsel status. He spent 30 years as the Law Director for the City of Sheffield Lake. Tim is currently and has been for many years rated AV “Preeminent” by Martdidale-Hubbell. Especially later in his career, Tim has focused on the needs of children through his advocacy for grandparent’s rights and the Lorain County Kinship Care Program, his Guardian Ad Litem and Parent Coordinating work, for which he is highly regarding by his peers. Tim was the first Lorain County attorney to be fully certified as a Parent Coordinator. Tim served for many years as the Chair of the LCBA’s Domestic Relations Section and as a member on the Legal Ethics & Grievance Committee. Tim helped develop and shape Domestic Relations Law in Ohio through his body of appellate and trial work. Over the years he quietly donated his time and talents through pro bono activities and representation with the Lorain County Bar Association and the Legal Aid Society. Throughout his career Tim has earned the respect and affection of his colleagues, both Bar and Bench. He is known as a gentleman and a credit to his profession. Tim practices law with civility and integrity. Tim always has time to mentor younger lawyers and frequently participates in new lawyer mentoring programs. Tim genuinely believes in giving back and always makes time for any lawyer – new and old – who approaches him for guidance or seeking his abundant wisdom. Generations of new lawyers have benefited from Tim’s generous and steady counsel, both with legal issues and with difficult nuances in dealing with clients and other lawyers. By his high level of service to the profession and devotion to the community, Timothy Smith is most definitely deserving of this Lifetime Achievement Award.

The LCBA Member of the Year Award:

This year’s recipient is Attorney Andrew Young of the Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy law firm. Andy is currently serving as the Secretary to the LCBA Executive Committee and has served on the Committee for the past four years. In addition to his service on the LCBA Executive Committee, Andy has served as Chair of the Negligence Section and the Social Committee. He is always searching for new and unique social/networking events to plan for the membership. Andy is always the first to raise his hand to volunteer and then is first in line to roll up his sleeves and actually work. Additionally, Andy and his firm are consistent sponsors of LCBA events, and he frequently lectures at LCBA seminars. By consistently going above and beyond the call of duty in service to the LCBA and the legal profession, Andy fits every criteria of a Most Valuable Player.

The Courage Award:

The Courage Award recognizes any resident of Lorain County who has shown exemplary courage in aiding and supporting its citizens. This year’s award is shared by the founders of 100 Women Who Care About Lorain County, Elizabeth Thuning, Susan Bowers, Marcia Miller, and Nancy Sullivan. These four amazing women, who became friends while receiving advanced degrees in business from Tiffin University, decided in 2010 that they wanted to make a difference right here in Lorain County. That is when they started 100 Women. They determined that by banding together, they could contribute much more than any one of them could do alone. They were able to convince 96 other women to join with them and meet quarterly. If they each donated $100 a quarter, they could raise $40,000 annually to make a significant impact in Lorain County. The participants meet and write the name of their favorite charity on a piece of paper, which is deposited into a hat. The charities are chosen and the woman supporting that charity will give a brief discussion about the merits of that particular choice. Each non-profit that is presented for consideration is required to serve Lorain County. The whole group votes and chooses who will receive the funds. If a woman wants to join and can only afford $25 a quarter, she can join with three others to come up with the necessary $100 for a vote. Since 2010, over $200,000 has been donated to local organizations including Soul to Sole, Lorain County Free Clinic, Family Promise of Lorain County, St. Jude Church Helping Hands Food Pantry, and many, many more. The Lorain County Bar Association Foundation is delighted to recognize the vision and courage of Libby, Susan, Marci and Nancy in meeting the needs of the Lorain County community. For more information on 100 Women, please visit their website at www.100womenloraincounty.org.

The Maude May Washburn Award:

Twenty one years after the Cronise sisters, Nettie and Florence became Ohio’s first women lawyers, Lorain County was making its own mark in women’s history. Maude May Marsh Washburn became Lorain County’s first licensed woman lawyer. In 1894, Maude successfully sat for the Ohio bar. She was the only woman out of 88 applicants. In 1953, she was among 15 fellow attorneys recognized and honored by the Lorain County Bar Association for 50 years of service to the community. Maude was a consummate community servant and leader, an activist, an avid learner and an outspoken advocate. Over 100 years ago, this wife, mother, leader and lawyer, did it all and that is exactly what this award honors – a female lawyer that does it all. Charlita Anderson-White is our modern-day Maude May Washburn. She is a wife, a mother, a leader, a lawyer. She is a Magistrate of the Lorain County Domestic Relations Court and has served as such since 1999. Prior to that Charlita worked as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and at Legal Aid. While serving as a Magistrate, Charlita earned her MBA in Health Care Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. She serves as adjunct faculty at Indiana Wesleyan. As if she is not busy enough, Charlita serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Ohio Association of Magistrates, the Lorain County Free Clinic, the Ohio Association of Free Clinics, the Lorain County Urban League (she also serves as President of the Lorain County Urban League Guild), and the Lorain County Community Foundation. She is on the Lorain County Bar Association’s Executive Committee and the Legal Ethics & Grievance Committee. These are just the organizations she currently is affiliated with, those she has served on in the past are just too numerous to list. In 2014 she was named a “Woman of Achievement” by the Elyria YWCA. Charlita truly exemplifies what this award recognizes. Maude May Washburn would be proud.